It’s Only a Paper Moon.

Events in Star Trek—even tragic ones—rarely have lasting consequences. Deep Space Nine changed that with arcs that took place during the Dominion War. In particular, in the final season, Nog’s injuries in battle led to a deep exploration of the lasting impact of a single moment in time—and they did it with the usual DS9 mix of serious commentary and humor.

In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Zachary Fruhling and Matthew Rushing to discuss Nog’s retreat to the holosuite, his struggle to come to terms with the physical and emotional damage of his experiences in “The Siege of AR-558,” and the counseling tag-team of Ezri Dax and Vic Fontaine who brought him back to reality.

In our news segment, we discuss additional shooting (reported as reshoots by most media) for Star Trek Beyond, a special agreement between CBS and Paramount that dictated a six-month post-film waiting period for Star Trek’s return to TV, and Rod Roddenberry joining the new series as Executive Producer.

Crossover. Sometimes actions can have unexpected consequences. Such was the case with Kirk and his speech to Mirror Spock. We discuss DS9’s return to the Mirror Universe and how life turned out for the humans living there.

Return to Tomorrow. Having your body taken over by an alien is a risk every Starfleet officer takes. But of your own free will? That’s not usually how it works. We discuss Sargon’s ancient love triangle.

It’s Only a Paper Moon. Nog’s retreat to the holosuite following his injury in battle offered a chance for real commentary on PTSD and depression. We discuss the lasting impact of a single moment in time.